Megadeth
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?

THE REVIEW

Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? (1986)

A syncopated intro of bass and drums and we’re in! The record begins, which is not just a record, but a historical document that fully showcases the possibilities of metal in 1986. Four musicians, Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Chris Poland, and Gar Samuelson, the first two metalheads, the other two jazz musicians, have been playing together for almost 3 years. After a high-voltage debut like “Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good”, released the previous year, the four have gotten to know each other and now play like the thrash metal version of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Thanks to the wise decision of Combat (their record label) to send them on tour to perform the new songs before recording them, Megadeth entered the studio in February ’86 with unmatched chemistry and professionalism, and despite all four musicians having issues with various substances, the record marked an era. With production first entrusted to Randy Burns and then to Paul Lani, a legendary cover signed by Ed Repka, and the attitude of seasoned jazz players with metal instead of blood, Megadeth crafted what is perhaps their absolute masterpiece (in the opinion of the writer, yes). “Wake Up Dead”, dedicated to Mustaine’s famous relationship with the often-cited Diana, “My Last Words”, inspired by Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter”, are the first and last song of the album. Among them, the record embraces gems like “The Conjuring”, dedicated to certain black magic rituals practiced by Mustaine in his youth, “Devil’s Island”, written by Mustaine after seeing J. Schaffner’s “Papillon”, “Good Mourning/Black Friday”, which imagines a Friday where it is possible to kill and do anything. Other always memorable episodes are “Bad Omen”, which describes or invokes a possible arrival of Baphomet on Earth, and the beautiful cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Ain’t Superstitious”, which almost wards off so much dark energy with its sublime arrangement and Chris Poland’s unrepeatable solos. Each single musician gives their best on this record. Mustaine sings well and forges rhythms and solos that are almost Dionysian in their twilight energy, Ellefson plays the bass like a seasoned master, offering us various hooks that stay in our hearts, Poland is undoubtedly the heir of Allan Holdsworth (legendary jazz/fusion guitarist) and delivers a performance that no other guitarist has ever managed to repeat in this genre and, in my opinion, in general, and Gar Samuelson plays like a Billy Cobham in a state of grace but, above all, plays like himself. The drummer, in fact, was capable of translating jazz sensitivity into a totally different genre, thrash metal. This will not be forgotten, and his style is still considered decades ahead. What can be said, a group ready to dominate the world, whose obstacles were represented by nothing but the same obsession of the individual members for various drugs. Almost forgot, there remains a song, and it is obviously the title track. The famous bassline was written by Mustaine on a 4-string fretless (a bass without frets) that Ellefson had just set up, and taught to the bassist immediately after. A text that speaks of Mustaine’s philosophy of life, of how a guy in 1986 could feel crushed and alienated by society and always seek his unique way to feel like himself. He could even get elected president, he has the right, as a verse of the song says, and asks if we are always the ones who decide our lives or whether someone else in high power places does it for us. It concludes by sardonically repeatedly asking “peace sells… but who’s buying?”, almost to emphasize the world’s despair, the same world in which peace was proposed to be “sold” in 1986 to countries under military attack to stop attacking them.

The group seemed unstoppable, tours followed in succession, parties increased. When Megadeth was ready to record the third album, Mustaine unfortunately made the reckless decision to kick out Poland and Samuelson, apparently due to their substance abuses. This would have catastrophic repercussions on the group’s sound, which would recover over the years (see the Marty Friedman/Nick Menza period) but would never reach the levels of this album again.

In the 2004 remastered edition by Dave Mustaine, we find some original mixes by Randy Burns, while in the 35th-anniversary edition of 2011, besides a passionate note by Lars Ulrich (Metallica drummer and Mustaine’s bandmate at the origins of the group), we have the opportunity to listen to a literally killer live show of Megadeth in Cleveland in 1987.

May peace be with you!